1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to fixing devices incorporated in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, and facsimile machines, and that are used for fixing a toner image to transfer paper, and more particularly relates to fixing devices provided with a fixing roller and a pressure roller that presses against the fixing roller, and that are configured such that an endless belt that is wound around a plurality of belt support rollers presses against the fixing roller and the fixing roller is heated via the endless belt by heat from a heating means mounted inside at least one of the plurality of belt support rollers.
2. Prior Art
Fixing devices provided with these endless belts aim to shorten warm-up times by directly heating the surface of the fixing roller using the endless belt, and also aim to increase the life of the fixing roller by avoiding increases in partial loads on the fixing roller by enlarging the nip width for heating the fixing roller, and these fixing devices are known conventionally (see JP 2005-164691A for example).
However, in the conventional technique described in the aforementioned patent document, there is no particular mention relating to paper jams of transfer paper in the fixing device, and consequently a long time may be required to clear a paper jam when a paper jam occurs in the fixing device.
That is, not only can a paper jam occur between the fixing roller and the pressure roller in a fixing device provided with an endless belt, but a paper jam may occur extending from between the fixing roller and the pressure roller extending to between the fixing roller and the endless belt, in which case it may be difficult to remove the transfer paper that caused the paper jam and a long time may be required to clear the paper jam.